Choosing and Using Keywords

Introduction

Choosing and using keywords are important skills when conducting research.In this tutorial, we will examine:

• Why identifying keywords is important.

• How to select key concepts from a research question.
• Ways to identify useful keywords.

What are Keywords?

Keywords are significant words that you use as search terms in online catalogs and databases. Targeted terms equate to useful search results, so the more specific your search results are to your topic, the faster and more efficient your research will become. Keywords should be related to the major concepts in your topic.

Vocabulary

Sometimes you have to learn the jargon or terminology of the discipline you are studying. Each subject area has a specialized vocabulary of technical terms; recognizing and understanding these words helps you select effective keywords.

Important Concepts

Start with identifying the important concepts from a research topic. Take a look at the examples here for jumping off points.

Research Topic: Chocolate is beneficial to your health because it lowers blood pressure. Key Concepts: Chocolate and Blood Pressure Research Question: What is the impact of poverty on children's education in the United States? Key Concepts: Poverty and Education

Searching with Keywords

Multiple keyword searches are necessary to generate the most effective results. Start with the broad concepts related to your topic, and then add or try more specific keywords.

Try Synonyms

Search with synonyms as well. What other words describe the key concepts from your research question?

Example topic: The impact of poverty on children's education.

Research Question: How are users of social networking applications affected by privacy issues?

Select all terms that are related to each key concept.

Where To Find Additional Keywords

A good place to find synonyms and disciplinary jargon for key concepts is in the subject headings, abstract, and titles of your best results. Use these as keywords in additional searches. Below is a relevant article for the research question: "What is the impact of poverty on children's education in the United States?"

Title: Keywords such as "Child Poverty" and "Education Attainment" can be found in the title. Abstract: Find related concepts in the abstract, such as "School," "Child Poverty," "Education Attainment," "Education Levels," and "Drop-Out Rate." Subject Headings: Subject headings are assigned to articles in order to identify all materials on a given subject. The subject terms "Education," "Academic Achievement," and "Poverty" will help you find similar articles, even if these exact terms are not used in each of the new results that appear.

Conclusion

You now are familiar with a few strategies for improving the keywords you use in searches. Remember these tips:

• Keywords should represent the most important concepts in your topic.
• Sometimes you must learn new vocabulary related to your topic.
• Try multiple variants or synonyms of your keywords.
• If you find a worthy source for your topic, look for additional keywords in the title, abstract, and subject headings.